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NEW INFECTION: Setermoen Camp is the Army’s largest military camp and is located in Bardu Township. Photo: KYRRE LIEN / AFP
A new employee at the Setermoen military camp tested positive for corona. Now three people have been confirmed to be infected and the Armed Forces are prepared for more cases of infection.
– The three who have been diagnosed with infection are recruited personnel who are all from the same squad. They work closely together in the daily service, an Army spokesman, Eirik Skomedal, told VG on Thursday night.
According to Skomedal, the three were present at the battalion’s annual event that was held in Setermoen on Saturday, October 24. Just under 200 people attended the party, which was held in a garage inside the camp.
Skomedal says the employees who were infected came into contact with a group from another part of the country that was in Setermoen for educational purposes early last week.
– That the infection could have come with the group that was visiting Setermoen is one of the theories, but we do not know. We have several possible sources of infection and we are now actively working on infection detection in close collaboration with the local health service.
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Skomedal admits it is concerning if staff who visited Setermoen last week turned out to have infected employees at the camp, who later attended the party where nearly 200 people were present.
– We are prepared for various cases of infection, regardless of this. It is true that the Armed Forces are not isolated from the surrounding society. We are integrated into the local community in many places and, in fact, we are surprised that we have not contracted more infections.
POPULAR CAMP: Setermoen Camp has 1,200 employees and 1,000 recruits. The image is from an exercise in Setermoen last summer. Photo: Gisle Oddstad Photo: Gisle Oddstad
Skomedal emphasizes that there were strict infection control measures during last Saturday’s event. All who participated were encouraged to be quarantined ten days before the party, and all were divided into cohorts.
– The event was held in accordance with the guidelines of the National Institute of Public Health and several measures were implemented to prevent infections. Among other things, guards were deployed who were responsible for ensuring that infection control regulations were followed.
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According to Skomedal, the guards made sure there was no close contact between the cohorts, which are groups of staff who work together on a daily basis.
Five employees were tested Wednesday and there are three people in this group who have been diagnosed with the infection. On Thursday, 56 people were tested.
– The results of these tests are not clear, says Skomedal.
